Wal-Mart Foundation can fund community projects

Save money, live better. No doubt you have heard this saying before. Daily, it is played on multiple television stations, multiple times a day, as the happy face bounces around the local Wal-Mart stores slashing prices on those items people use every day. What most people don't know or simply don't see is that message could truly read, "Save money, live better, and help us help others."

By going to www.walmartstores.com, you will bypass the traditional look of a Wal-Mart online retail sales center, and you will see the corporate side, and what can be considered the lighter side of Wal-Mart. Here you can click on the Community and Giving tab, then on Wal-Mart Foundation. You can also go to a search engine and type in "Wal-Mart Foundation" to locate this site.

The Wal-Mart Foundation page briefly describes the mission of the foundation, which is to "operate globally and give back locally" in hopes of providing better lives for all. This foundation puts a strong emphasis on volunteerism and fiscal stewardship, and it divides its distribution into four primary areas:

1. Education programs and scholarships for Wal-Mart and Sam's Club associates
2. State giving programs
3. National giving programs
4. Facility giving

Under these four foundation areas, the typical grant funding area for most of us will fall under the state giving campaign. The national giving campaign looks at organizations providing projects that span the borders and territories of multiple states, while the state campaign helps local projects of organizations with a 501(c)(3) designation.

In the state giving campaign, Wal-Mart breaks down its giving to four subcategories: education, work-force development, healthcare and wellness, and environmental sustainment. This opens up avenues for multiple projects. From enhancement of environmental footprint to developing an outreach program to enhance healthcare delivery.

By going to the Wal-Mart Foundation website, you can determine if your organization is eligible for this out-of-the-box grant. Funding new projects to help the community and the environment will place a high level of prestige on your agency; however, your goals of creating a better community will ensure a higher level of care and ultimately a healthier population.